To Love Is To Hurt
by SaintRidley
Summary: Albus Dumbledore has tracked down Gellert Grindelwald and hopes to talk him out of the madness. Can this be done over tea, or will one have to give up something greater to end it? Must there be an epic duel? Twoshot. I don't own the characters.
1. Sometimes We Must Fight Those We Love

_Sometimes We Must Fight Those We Love_

Albus Dumbledore stood a mere hundred paces from a rundown old shack in an out of the way area near the Ruhr River. The shack was shabby, to put it kindly. The windows were blown out, the walls had multiple holes and scorch marks, and the roof looked ready to cave in at any given moment. Albus sighed, and resumed his progress toward the cabin. _It must be done_, he thought. _If he is in there, then I must enter_.

Now standing at the half-rotted door, Albus raised his fist to knock. He hoped beyond vain hope that he would not have to do this. He desperately imagined that this could be solved over tea. Deep down, though, he knew that it would never be like that. Ever since the day Ariana had died, he knew that the next meeting with him would be disastrous for one or the other.

The door opened, revealing a man of the same height as Albus, with shoulder-length curly blond hair. His eyes were a striking blue, and after a moment of thought, he seemed genuinely mirthful to have Albus at his door. "Albus! I never expected to see you just now. It has been so very long. Sit down, please. _Moechten Sie Essen?"_

"_Ja. Danke, Gellert_," Albus said, hoping that perhaps this could be settled over tea after all. There was no reason for him to duel the man if he would simply see reason. "I have heard things about you, Gellert. And I'm not sure I like what I've heard."

Gellert was in the kitchen, fetching some bratwurst and tea. With a quick flick of his wand the sausages became warm. Returning to the small table he had invited Albus to sit at, he quickly doled out portions to each of their plates and poured tea into both of their cups.

"Oh? Albus, I know that it must be shocking to you that I am accomplishing our dreams alone, but after the unfortunate incident involving your sister I knew you wouldn't continue with it. So I fled, partially because I was scared of being arrested for something that I may or may not have done. But I also fled because I knew I would never be able to bear seeing the pain in your eyes."

"We are not here to discuss Ariana, Gellert. And we are certainly not here to have you lie about the reasons you disappeared. I know you left because you feared arrest, but also because you had nothing left to gain from me. As for 'our dreams,' Gellert, I have moved on and grown up. Please see reason and stop this mindless violence. Stop pitting the Muggles against each other for your own ends. Stop the torture, the killing. There is another way, a peaceful way."

"Albus, even when we schemed together you never did quite see things clearly. Think of the Hallows! Think of the new order, of the dominance of wizard over Muggle. We could lift the Statute of Secrecy, ensure a safe world for the Muggles, and ensure quality of life for all wizard-kind! I'm doing it for the Greater Good, Albus."

"And I am here for the Greater Good, Gellert. You don't need war, death, famine, or any of the rest of this to achieve those goals. And you forget that I know exactly what you mean when you spout off that nonsense about wizard domination. Enslaving the Muggles is not the way. I've come to realise this so why haven't you?"

"I seem to recall a different view of these actions just over forty years ago, Albus. In fact, I believe that enslaving the Muggles was as much your idea as it was mine. You never had it in you, though, and I always knew. To think, though, that while I have one of the Deathly Hallows thanks to my willingness to go through with the plans, you have none because you backed out and never really had your heart in it."

"You found one of the Hallows?" Albus asked, incredulous.

"I did. I have the Elder Wand, Albus. And with it I can bring justice and peace to a world that lacks it."

"You made the world lack peace and justice! The last time the world saw something like this, we weren't even born! Until you decided to bring 'peace' to the world, the world had it, and now look at where we are! I thought you were better than this, Gellert."

"And I thought you would understand, Albus. I wish it did not have to be this way, and I really do mean that. But it does. It has to be this way for the Greater Good. Those who stand in my way are destined to be crushed, not because of any malice on my part, but because they stand in the way of progress and hope for the future. And when I have the Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility there will be no question of the fact that I was right. The violence will cease."

"Twisting your words to wring false meaning is not a trait I admire anymore, Gellert. I may have fallen for them back in the days of our youth, but I am older and wiser now. We could have peace now, rather than later. We could spare the bloodshed, and rejoice with our families. We could address the problems in our world with words and not with wands. That, Gellert, is truly the way to the Greater Good. That, old friend, is progress and hope for the future."

"You are absolutely certain of your position, Albus?"

"I am as firmly entrenched in my own position as you are in yours, Gellert."

"Then I suppose we will duel. I'd rather it not come to this, Albus, but there is no other way. If you are here to stop me, I must defend myself."

"Likewise. Shall we say dawn, then?"

"Let it be so, old friend."


	2. The Duel of the Century

_The Duel of the Century_

Albus Dumbledore stirred from his slumber, awakening on the soft, green grass at the banks of the Ruhr. It would soon be dawn, the time of his scheduled duel with Gellert. He bathed himself quickly in the river's waters and proceeded to dry himself magically before donning the robes he would wear into battle. Deeming himself ready, Albus strode out into the open, where he would await Gellert.

Gellert Grindelwald stood in the kitchen of the shabby shack he had been hiding in over the past month. He was wont to eat a decent-sized meal, but remembering that Albus would not have had the luxury, he abstained. For Albus, at least, he could be a good sport about the duel. Pocketing a pair of wands, he stepped out into the dawn, to find Albus waiting for him.

The first thing Gellert did while he took in his surroundings was smile. The day was beautiful, a typical German summer without being too hot. Neither wizard would be exhausted by the heat, that it truly would be a test of skill for one to duel with the other. When he spotted Albus and approached, determined to at the very least observe all the formalities whether Albus wanted to or not, Albus looked away without a word.

Drawn by Albus's gaze, Grindelwald saw what had caught the other man's attention. A small crowd of onlookers had gathered at the top of a nearby hill, no doubt having somehow gotten word that there would be a duel between the two wizards. Both men were determined not to let the onlookers distract them.

"Albus, a word before we duel, if you will," Grindelwald said calmly, fingering the Elder Wand in his off hand. He hoped Albus would understand that he was completely honourable when a duel was to occur, despite the past, and would come over to listen what he had to say.

Dumbledore stepped a few feet closer and saw Gellert's left hand in his robes. Stopping immediately, he raised his wand. "Take it out of there, Gellert, and let us get on with this."

Gellert removed the Elder wand from his robes and proceeded to speak. "Albus, in the interest of all fairness, I have no intention of using the Elder Wand against you. No one can defeat the Elder Wand's master while that master uses the Wand." He rifled through one of the pockets on the right side of his robes with his other hand, retrieving an old and battered wand, one that Albus recognised from old memories.

"I want to use this one, my old wand, the one I haven't used since the year after I met you, when I first won the Elder Wand." He held the wand high while bending down to set the Elder Wand on a nearby stump. "The Elder Wand shall be the prize awarded to the victor, Albus."

There was a flash of yellow followed by a deafening crack. Half of Grindelwald's old wand fell to the ground, the other half still gripped by the wizard, who looked up to his hand in shock. "You destroyed it? Why, Albus? Why would you destroy my wand when the only one I have left to use is the Elder Wand? Do you so desperately seek for me to defeat you, Albus?"

"Gellert, I never once intended for you to duel me without the Elder Wand once I found out that you had it. I do not need you to go easy on me, and I likewise do not need you to be able to say that you could have defeated me once I have. I want this duel to be truly final, one way or the other."

"If you insist, Albus, then I will assent, of course. Do not say that I didn't warn you, though. When all is said and done, I will stand victorious thanks in part to the might of the Elder Wand. Now, we bow and allow this duel to carry on."

The two men backed up to a distance of relatively fifty paces and bowed low to their opponent, drawing wands as they did so. As challenger, Albus would give the word for the duel to start, and he did so while following up with an immediate flick of his wand.

Thick roots erupted from the ground and threatened to entangle Gellert's legs until he waved the Elder Wand once, almost lazily. Fire spread out from him, torching the roots and burning the grass around him. An orb of flame seemed to surround Grindelwald, and he slowly advanced on Albus.

"I've seen you do better than that, Albus. Come now, you're up against the Elder Wand and still refuse to duel seriously?" he taunted, still advancing. Albus retreated a few steps, toward the river.

"Not at all, Gellert. I was just leading you here. _ACCIO RUHR!_" Dumbledore shouted.

The Ruhr's waters, once calm, slowly rose above the banks. A mile-wide stretch of the river seemed to be rising into the air, and then it stopped. Suddenly, all the water flew towards Albus, who disappeared with a small pop. Grindelwald watched with fear as the water continued toward him, and was surprised when he saw Albus's silhouette beyond.

Dumbledore was twirling his wand, causing the river to encircle his foe in a watery sphere. There were faint hints of steam as the water doused the flames, and a few bubbles broke through the surface of the sphere. Grindelwald was inside, his faint form just visible inside the sphere, struggling to escape but pinned down to the centre by the pressure.

As the water closed around Grindelwald and crushed his fiery protection, he flicked his wand almost imperceptibly. The Bubble-Head Charm would ensure that he wouldn't drown, but Albus wouldn't know that he was safe. Feigning a struggle to breathe, coupled with a slowing rate of movement, Grindelwald put on a show of helplessness.

When Grindelwald ceased movement, Albus flicked his wand again, letting the water fall. He shielded himself as the water rushed his way. After the wave pushed past him, he blinked; stunned that Grindelwald was simply standing there, not looking the least bit harmed by the minutes he spent crushed by the river.

"I must say, Albus, that I am quite impressed by that stunt. A masterful show of force, to be sure. However, it was useless in the end. Now, _this_," he said, flicking the Elder Wand. "This should keep you busy for a while."

The grass around him dried, and was then cut, rising freely into the air. With another flick of the Elder Wand, the grass changed colour, becoming silver. Motioning the wand forward, Grindelwald forced the blades to speed toward Dumbledore, who simply conjured a powerful shield charm to deflect the blades.

"Transfiguring grass into knife blades, Gellert? So elementary, and I speak from experience teaching the subject. That could have been more impressive, in any number of ways," Dumbledore said, disappointed.

Jabbing his wand out in front of him, a number of red stunning spells flew forth. Many simply missed, and the rest were deflected with a short wave of the Elder Wand. A green bolt of light flew toward Dumbledore, who dodged with a surprising agility for someone of his age.

"A Killing Curse, Gellert? Why must you resort to the Unforgiveable Curses?"

"To distract you while my blades ready themselves," Grindelwald mused, smiling. It was no longer the haunting, wild smile the man had had in his youth. It was a hollow, crooked defiling of all that once drew Dumbledore to the man. Sure enough, a wall of knife blades pointed at Dumbledore, ready to fly forward and impale him at the slightest twitch of the Elder Wand.

"Goodbye, Albus," Grindelwald said, flicking the Elder Wand once and then again.

The blades flew toward Albus, who managed to Apparate just before they would have skewered him. Nodding his head slightly, with that same twisted smile on his face, Grindelwald flicked the Elder Wand a third time, transforming the blades into cut grass once again. Albus let out a cry of pain.

While he had focused on the blades, he never noticed the half of Grindelwald's old wand that was speeding toward him at the same time. Striking just over his right knee and splintering there, blood began to seep out of the many cuts. A small discharge of magical energy followed, pulsing through Albus and only increasing the pain.

"I see... Gellert..." he panted, waving his wand to tie a bit of cloth around the wound. "That was... quite impressive."

"Indeed, and I'm quite sure that _this_ will leave an even more lasting impression, Albus," Grindelwald said, thrusting the Elder Wand toward the ground. Nothing happened for over a minute, and both wizards looked toward the ground expectantly.

Suddenly, and much to Albus's shock and disgust, three hands emerged from the ground, each about five feet apart from the next. The hands pushed down, bringing with them arms and eventually bodies. Three Inferi stood tall, and slowly began to approach Albus.

Knowing that these animated corpses could be repelled by fire, Dumbledore conjured a flaming whip, which he brandished to keep them away while he waved his wand at himself. Grindelwald watched, incredulous, and a pair of blue, feathered wings sprouted from his opponent's back, a means of reprieve from the Inferi should they find a way around the fire. Dropping the whip, Dumbledore took to the air with surprising grace; the burning whip terrified the Inferi, who charged toward their creator.

Slashing the Elder Wand, he destroyed the three abominations instantly and then looked up to Albus, who was hovering lazily overhead. Within seconds, Grindelwald also had a pair of the magnificent wings, and took to the air to continue the duel.

The two flew through the air, casting all manner of curses and hexes at the other. The extra manœuvrability made it even harder to land a blow with any direct spell. Albus's knee was still bleeding, and Grindelwald took to being the aggressor. When Albus dropped altitude to avoid some of the curses that were coming in his direction, Grindelwald made a grand motion of the Elder Wand, and it seemed as if the whole of the Earth was ready to devour them.

A significantly large area of dried earth raised in the shape of a man, a man at least one hundred feet tall and completely proportional. One of the gigantic hands reached out, plucking the auburn-haired wizard from the sky and swiftly bringing him toward its gaping maw. Dumbledore reacted with four successive slashes of his wand, two of which were aimed at himself.

Both Grindelwald and Dumbledore fell to the ground, their wings cut apart by the multiple severing charms. Dumbledore grabbed hold of the earthen beast and held on, lest he plummet too fast to let off a cushioning charm. Grindelwald fared less well, nearly dropping the Elder Wand and striking the ground with great force.

Albus climbed down the beast, which was trying to swat him, touching down on the ground and running toward Grindelwald. He turned, and with a series of complicated gestures, the giant of the earth was banished. Turning his wand on Grindelwald, he saw his opponent crawling toward the Elder Wand, his legs both clearly broken. Dumbledore stooped to pick up the wand.

"Don't you dare touch that wand, Albus! I haven't lost yet! You haven't defeated me!" he cried out, clawing his way toward Albus's feet, looking utterly pitiable.

Dumbledore merely looked back at his former friend, and cast a stunning spell on him, temporarily relieving him of his misery. He considered the wand, knowing that he had just won mastery of the Elder Wand and all of its powers. Directing it at Grindelwald's legs, he muttered a quick healing spell.

"You'll be confined here, Gellert," Albus said, later that night. "You will have no magic, and no one will be able to come inside Nurmengard's entrance once I leave, and you will never be able to exit. I hope you can find remorse."


End file.
